2024 Artist In Residence: Robert Moses
Choreographer, Writer, and Composer Robert Moses has created over 100 works of varying styles and genres for his highly praised dance company, and has composed many of the sound and narrative scores for his works since 2008. Moses has choreographed for dance, opera, and theater companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, San Francisco Opera, Olympic Arts Festival, Ailey II, Philadanco, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, Cincinnati Ballet, Eco Arts, Transitions Dance Company of the Laban Center in London, African Cultural Exchange (UK), Bare Bones (UK), Oakland Ballet, New Conservatory Theater, Los Angeles Prime Moves Festival (L.A.C.E.), Moving People Dance, and Robert Henry Johnson Dance Company, among others. He has taught on college campuses throughout the US, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Cal State Long Beach, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Goucher College, University of Texas, Stockton University, University of Nevada, and the University of South Florida.
Moses’ work explores topics ranging from oral traditions in African American culture, contemporary urban culture, and the complexities of identity, to the simple joys and expressive power of pure movement. Moses has worked collaboratively with numerous artists and organizations, among them are Terence Marling, Latanya d. Tigner, Julia Adam, Margaret Jenkins, Alonzo King, Sara Shelton Mann, Joanna Haigood, Carl Hancock Rux, SoVoSo, Marcus Shelby, Keith Terry, Frank Boehm, Will Power, Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble, Bill Morrison, Ann Galjour, David Worm, Kid Beyond and Youth Speaks.
A highly sought after master teacher, Moses has taught nationally and internationally, including International Festival of Contemporary Dance “Espuma Cuanatica” (Ensanada, Mexico), International Dance Festival, “Crossing Bodies” (Tijuana, Mexico), OPEN LOOK St. Petersburg International Dance Festival, and Serendipity Arts Festival (Kolkata, India). Moses has been a returning guest artist at the Northwest Dance Project and a mentor with Choreographers in Mentorship Exchange (CHIME). He conducted movement and performance workshops internationally for artists of African descent with State of Emergency Limited in the United Kingdom.
In 2005, Moses was named Stanford University Choreographer-in-Residence and the Artistic Director of the Committee on Black Performing Arts at Stanford University, where he remained until 2016. He was a Professor of Practice at Santa Clara University from 2018-2019, the Melody and Mark Teppola Presidential Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Dance and Theater Studies at Mills College in Oakland, CA, from 2019-2022, and is currently a Distinguished Artist in Residence and Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco.
2024 Dance Instructors
Oscar Gonzalez
Oscar Gonzalez was born and raised in Orange County, California. Oscar trained at the Anaheim Ballet School, American Ballet Theater and the Joffrey Ballet School. He is formally trained in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Musical Theater and Contemporary. Gonzalez has been a soloist with the Anaheim Ballet, Festival Ballet, and was an educational instructor for Diavolo. Oscar travels around the world to educate and inspire artists. He has successfully trained dozens of dancers that have been accepted into college dance programs. He was last seen in Aladdin “A Musical Spectacular” at the Disney resort. Oscar has performed in professional musical theater productions such as, Hello Dolly, Westside Story, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, A Chorus Line, Evita and has been a principal in The Glory of Christmas at the Crystal Cathedral. His ballet credits include, Cinderella, Napoli, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Nutcracker and Alice. Oscar performed for the grand opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Oscar was chosen by former ABT dancer Kristine Elliott to create and teach a 2-week dance intensive in Cape town, South Africa. Gonzalez was formerly the ballet director at McCoy Rigby Conservatory of the Arts, under the direction of Broadway star and former Olympic athlete Cathy Rigby. Oscar recently received his BA in Liberal Arts Education in Performing Arts, from St. Mary’s College, and his master’s degree in Education. Oscar has taught many workshops to dance educators around the US to help spread his knowledge of dance and teaching techniques. Oscar has been teaching for over 20 years. Oscar is currently the dance director at Anaheim High School. Dance & Movement is always a highlight of the year, he gets to be inspired by wonderful dance educators.
Joelle Gonçalves
Joelle Gonçalves is the Artistic Director and principal dancer with Sol Flamenco Dance which is based in her hometown of Santa Rosa, Ca. Her formal flamenco dance training began in 2003 when she traveled to Seville, Spain, to study at Studio Flamenco José Galván and has since returned to Spain several times to study at prestigious flamenco academies including Academia de Flamenco Manuel Betanzos, Andrés Marín Flamenco Abierto, and Estudio Flamenco Juan Polvillo. She has also studied at The Institute for Spanish Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico as well as flamenco schools in Oakland and San Francisco.
In addition to managing shows with some of the Bay Area’s finest artists, she has performed as a soloist with local dance companies, including Mi Alma Flamenca, Mark Taylor Flamenco, Toque Tercero, the “Flamenco Room” at Thirsty Bear and FLAMENCO! LIVE!
She has received awards from the Sonoma Arts Council, The Alliance for California Traditional Arts. and received a personal letter from Cirque du Soleil talent scout, Guilio Scatola, requesting her audition (after seeing her perform at the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts) for the production of Ka. Joelle was hired for the winter 2022 season of Cirque de Bobeme’s “Gypsy” as a flamenco soloist as well as a flamenco dancer with the Opera San José production of Barber of Seville in 2023. Joelle teaches Flamenco Dance Classes in Santa Rosa raising the next generation of flamenco artists.
Liv Schaffer
Liv Schaffer is a social practice artist and educator with a focus on intergenerational dance. She has performed with AXIS Dance Company, DanceWorks Chicago, Robert Moses’ Kin, and the Dance Exchange. Liv is a Community Engagement Artist with Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and on faculty at the University of San Francisco’s Performing Arts & Social Justice department, where she teaches contemporary technique and directs an on campus intergenerational dance company, Dance Generators. Liv is also the Intergenerational Programs Director with EngAGE, designing programs that bridge generational divides within affordable housing communities across California. Liv’s choreography has been presented by Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, ODC Theater, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, RAWDance SF, The Big Muddy Dance Company, and Western Michigan University. Liv was named a 2021 Gen2Gen Innovation Fellow by CoGenerate and serves on the Board of Directors of San Francisco Village.
Donna Flournoy
Donna Flournoy is Associate Professor in the Dance Department at San Diego Mesa College. Donna has extensive training and dance experience as a professional Dancer, Choreographer, and Dance Educator. She has taught and choreographed at numerous dance studios for over twenty years. Donna has a great passion for the arts and is looking forward to sharing her love for Dance movement with all her students.
Bruce Goolsby
Bruce Goolsby grew up dancing under the late Jazz Master Frank Hatchett in his School of Performing Arts in Springfield, Ma., where he studied everything from ballet, jazz and tap to voice and acting. His performance credits includes, ‘The Evening is Yours’, ‘Philly’s Beat’ and a road production of ‘Dream Girls’ in addition to numerous radio and television appearances. He also was a member of the R&B group Secrets. These days, he can be found choreographing and teaching tap, jazz and African dance at local dance studios, high schools workshops and colleges throughout the greater Phoenix area. He lives in Mesa, AZ with his wife, Michele, and their dogs Biggie and Koda.
Brenton Cheng
Brenton Cheng is a teacher, performer, and director of movement-based performance, as well as a core faculty of Integrated Movement Studies Laban/Bartenieff certification program and adjunct faculty at the University of San Francisco. In addition to directing his own work, he has performed with internationally-acclaimed Contraband, Zaccho Dance Theater, Angus Balbernie, Kim Epifano, Jo Kreiter & Flyaway Productions, Megan Lowe Dances, and many others, at such places as Jacob’s Pillow, Bates Dance Festival, and the Festival d’Avignon, France. He teaches contact improvisation, Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies, and somatically-based performance skills to professional and non-professional movers in classes and workshops around the world.
Instructors from AXIS Dance Company
AXIS is one of the nation’s most acclaimed ensembles of disabled, non-disabled and neurodiverse performers.
Disabled, non-disabled, d/Deaf, and neurodiverse participants of all experience levels are invited to join AXIS for a accessibility-driven dance classes. We will begin with warmups designed to draw awareness to the full body, before moving on to technique, improvisation and phrase work designed to encourage all dancers to respond to the environment and each other with embodied joy. Participants will experience the use of inclusive language as well as explore approaches to movement translation for each individual body.
JanpiStar
JanpiStar was born and raised in Puerto Rico. They got involved with art for the first time through the music at the Fine Art School Anita Toro Hernández as a 12-year-old playing the clarinet. In 2012 Janpi began their Bachelor Degree in Drama at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras and had the opportunity to work with Viveca Vazquez, Carola Garcia and Petra Bravo. Janpi began to dance on January 2013 with Juan Maria Seller in the School For the Performing Arts at Guaynabo Puerto Rico. They then took workshops in writing, movement, acting and semiotics in Ecuador with the group Malayerba.
Janpi has also done workshops with the Candoco Dance Company and went to their audition. They worked with the theater group “Jóvenes del 98” directed by Maritza Perez and trained dance in The School for the Performing Arts directed by Waldo Gonzalez. Janpi has worked with choreographers including Robert Dekkers, Arthur Pita and Jennifer Archibald as well as Petra Bravo with “instalaciones Coreograficas , la casitas de Santurce” in The Fine Arts Center of Puerto Rico. Janpi’s most recent solo work of choreography was commissioned for the inaugural Queering Dance Festival, FROLIC.
David Calhoun
David Calhoun was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. They spent their summers training at LINES Ballet, Ballet West, Kansas City Ballet, Hubbard Street, Martha Graham and Bates Dance Festival. David obtained their BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography, Emphasis in Ballet and Modern, from the Conservatory at University of Missouri – Kansas City in 2017 on full scholarship. After graduation, David moved to San Francisco to join dawsondancesf under Gregory Dawson. Since residing in SF they have danced professionally with ODC/Dance, SFDanceworks, Ballet22, Wylliams/Henry, Concept o4 and other Bay Area choreographers. David teaches yoga and dance to all ages with the intention to help others connect to the joy and gift of movement.
Julie Hasushi
Julie Hasushi is dancer, actress and publicist from São Paulo, Brazil. She started dancing at the age of 9 with the dance company Arte Sem Barreiras, and stayed there for 5 years. She was then invited to join the Bombelela Dance Company, where she danced for over 20 years. At Bombelela, she won dance championships where she was the only dancer in a wheelchair, received an award for Revelation Artist, and participated in major events including: A Tour of the Paralympic Torch at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, and representing Brazil at SIDF (Sibu International Dance Festival) in Malaysia. Julie has also performed in TV commercials as a protagonist for major brands including Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut, Advil, and many others.
